Nov. 20, 1864. President Lincoln reportedly wrote a letter of condolence to Lydia Bixby, who claimed to have lost five sons in the Civil War. Ironically, Mrs. Bixby herself was said to have supported the Confederacy, and records show that two — not five — of her sons died. Scholars have never been able to prove conclusively that Lincoln wrote the letter, which was portrayed in Saving Private Ryan. Many Lincoln experts believe he did, though others say his secretary John Hay was the author. In any case, here it is:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppyCartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
-
Rishi Sunak's asylum spat with Ireland explainedIn Depth Irish government plans to override court ruling that the UK is unsafe for asylum seekers
